If you missed the YouTube video I posted last week you've got to check it out. It's a trip! The young pups from Team USABocce.com introduced Belly Flop Bocce to the bocce crowd at the Italian-American Club in Wickliffe, Ohio.

Many readers have sent kind messages of encouragement as I deal with my sister's placement into a nursing home. It has been an ordeal managing her affairs, but we are just about "out of the woods" with the "passing of papers" on the sale of her house this week. Thanks to all for the words of encouragement and support. It seems that a lot of readers have gone through a similar scenario.

This week on eBay I posted for auction a nailed boule from my private collection. It "kills" me to let it go, but my significant other says I need to be less selfish and share with my readers. So, I relented. Check it out under "Non-bocce product of the week".

I have come into a great many other items too - art work, collectibles, costume jewelry, and all sorts of curios. Check out the eBay product of the week. There will be so many different items that something is bound to interest you.

Recently, a collection of nailed boules became available and, of course, I purchased the lot of them.

When they showed up in the mail my wife asked, reasonably...

"Don't you have enough of these already? What are you going to do with all of them?"

She keeps telling me that I have so many now (probably 100 or so) that I should sell a few so that others could enjoy them too.

“Blasphemy! I’m not selling my collection at any price” I protest.

Alas! She breaks me down, using the old standby “guilt trip” and completes the blitz by playing the “selfish card” until I relent.

“I’ll list one this week to see if there is any interest, but it’s not gonna sell cheap. Then we’ll just see.”

Take a peek at this one. They are very collectible in Europe and pretty rare. In antique stores in the states they often sell for $95 to $225 and more. Hey, you can own a piece of our game's history. Great conversation pieces.

Now that the Joy of Bocce 3rd edition is hitting the bookstores, I could use a few reviews (positive ones, he said, hopefully) and a host of resellers (who want to purchase in quantity at wholesale and sell at retail - contact me at Mario@JoyofBocce.com ).

New Jersey's Pete Chimento wrote the first review for Amazon.com...

{Check Pete's review out here - and maybe pen one of your own - be kind!}

"I just finished the enjoyment of reading your book, which is simply a master piece about our favorite sport.

There is a Spanish saying that fits perfect with your new edition: “A LA TERCERA VA LA VENCIDA“…..that can be applied to any event in life and particularly in sports and of course when playing bocce after losing 2 straight games.

Congratulations for your super effort and wish you the best success with this new edition that should be enjoyed by all the US bocce players.

Note: The above in quotes can be interpreted several ways, but in essence is that the third game is the one that counts because it is the real McCoy."

{My reply to the good doctor...

"Thanks for the kind words Dr. C. and for all the support and great quotes you send my way.

Life is good. Now all I wish for is for someone to build a Campo, Palazzo, Pinstripes type facility in the East so I can learn to point on those super fast surfaces." }

"In the last edition of Joy of Bocce, you featured a write-up on our under-21 Raffa Singles Champion, and this week, I forward to you the bios of our Women's Singles and Men's Singles Champions, Maria Narayan & Jorge Moreno, both of whom will be representing the USA in Rome, Italy in late September in the Raffa Singles World Championships. It should be a great event, and will be held in the brand new Centro Tecnico facility built by the Italian Bocce Federation.

U.S. Women's Punto Raffa Volo Singles Champion: Maria G. Narayan

A labor lawyer, Maria, like so many of us, first learned bocce by joining an 'open' bocce league at her home club, the Marin Bocce Federation in San Rafael, California. In 2006, she learned the basics of the game of Punto Raffa Volo ('Raffa' for short), and immediately took to its precision and strategy. She was successful as early as October of 2006, when she was part of the top US women’s team to win a silver medal in the biennial North American Championships. Since then, Maria has won a GOLD medal in RAFFA in every National tournament in which she has competed: 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Maria and her team represented the USA in the World Championships in Bevagna, Italy, in 2009. Now, as a result of her winning the U.S. Singles Championship in 2009, Maria will be in Rome, Italy from 9/27 to 10/2, competing in the World Singles Raffa Championships, against the National Champions of approximately 25 other countries.

U.S. Men's Punto Raffa Volo Singles Champion: Jorge Moreno

Born in Uruguay, Jorge first played the traditional South American game of 'bochas', using large balls and shooting almost all volo on super fast courts. In the mid 1980’s, Jorge was mentored by Mario Massa of the Highwood, IL Bocce Club, and, in 1985, won a Gold Medal in Volo at the US National Championships. Jorge then switched to 'Raffa', and since then has won numerous National Raffa titles, in both team and singles play, and has represented the US in many international competitions. He was a member of the first US Team to win back-to-back titles in Volo and in Raffa in 1990 and 1991. Rated by many as one of the very top (if not the top) Raffa players in the country, Jorge finished fourth at the World Raffa Singles Championship in 2005, twice beating the eventual winner in the preliminary rounds. Equally adept in all phases of the game, Jorge is a fierce, relentless competitor who is also calm and fearless. Jorge currently resides in New Jersey, and competes in several
tournaments annually in the East and Midwest.

Please join the USBF, and their respective home clubs, in wishing Maria and Jorge the very best 'buona fortuna' in Rome.

On Saturday, October 8, the American Diabetes Association will be holding its StepOut Walk to Fight Diabetes in Seattle's Magnuson Park, and I will be there! I will walk the five miles and represent the great Puget Sound Bocce players, fans and families and friends who have been touched by someone afflicted with diabetes, or may have it themselves.

I will be a 'red strider', which is a participant who is fighting diabetes. You can help me support research to find a cure from this disease by reading my story and then considering making a donation to fight diabetes. You're welcome to share my link with others who might be interested! The link is http://main.diabetes.org/goto/pdituri - please help me if you can! Thanks!

As if you don't need another reminder, Puget Sound Bocce celebrates the big event of the season, the Festa Italiana Seattle team tournament! The Seattle Center Pavillion is the familiar spot for this annual classic! "B" Division play is on Saturday, September 25 and the pinnacle "A" Division championship is on Sunday, September 26. For more information and registration visit the Festa Italiana Bocce Web site. Seattle's big bocce event's great organizers once again are Nello Prisinotti and Patrick Henry, if you have any questions!

The Puget Sound Bocce Web channel is working on broadcasting the "A" Division action, so stay tuned for more info!

Your practice options for the Festa are:
1. The Tacoma Elks lodge courts are open for practice on a new time, Wednesdays at 4 pm and still on Saturdays at 1 pm. There won't be practice on Tuesdays at 5 pm. For just $1, non-Elks members can practice on these highly-challenging courts very similar to that of the Festa Italiana Seattle courts. All funds go to Elks Children's Charities! But the best part is practices continue into the winter and spring season, so you get your bocce fix in a covered area even in the rainy season! Contact Tony Riconosciuto for more information!

2. You also have an opportunity to free practice with the Auburn Bocce! Club at the Les Gove Park courts all'aperto (outdoors) on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 3-6 pm now until October 14. Contact Sal Cascone if you want to practice your game!

3. Up in North Seattle, Woodland Park BC has their practices on Fridays from 7-11 pm, and Bob Sheffels can help you if you want to practice with their very talented club!

4. East of Lake Washington, the Puget Sound Croquet Club in Kirkland is piloting open play on Friday nights and Sundays. All are welcome to play! Please contact Robert Glaze for more details!

The Mr./Ms. Bocce event that officially closes out the 2010 Puget Sound Bocce season is on Saturday, October 16, at the Tacoma Elks lodge courts. You may contact Tony Riconosciuto for more information. Action starts at 10 am, and the expected hospitality known by the Elks will be in force for this final major Puget Sound Bocce event of 2010!

Tell a friend or two (or more!) about Puget Sound Bocce's Facebook group and Twitter feed, to find out about exciting bocce action in the Puget Sound area in the final months of the season!

We should all be card carrying members. Every club should be affiliated. For the sport to gain the attention it needs we need to boast of many thousands of members. Download a USBF Membership Application here:

"First of all, congratulations on your book!!! I know that it was a lot of work and we all appreciate your dedication to getting it out. May it be a best seller.

Here are some pictures of what's been going on in Scotts Valley California at the Sky Park bocce venue.

We have three successive 8 week sessions - Spring, Summer and Fall. Winter is played indoors by some at a local restaurant which has two courts. Bocce and lunch, what could be better while it rains?

We just started our Fall games. There are four teams each on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then we have playoffs which determine the city senior champs. These pictures are from the 2010 Spring and Summer Tourneys where each day's winningest team plays for top honors. Each of the three daily champs plays the other teams for a timed (45 minutes) period to garner points. The winner is declared on the basis of how the game was played for three-quarters of an hour. I'm not sure whether this is an official way to do it, but it sure does work for us and that's what counts.

Of course while two teams are playing their little hearts out, the third team, waiting to play, is kibitzing, coaching, learning, planning a strategy and generally having a good time. When all is said and done the champs are crowned, pictures are taken and we eat! Sometimes a barbeque, other times at a local restaurant (they have to do separate checks! - it's a senior league after all!).

I have been forwarding your emails to our players and we all look forward to reading about what's going on in the realm of Bocce here in the good old USA. As for me personally, we are heading back to Daytona Beach for some Fall beach bocce and more good times around a game we have come to love, study, respect and curse.

Don't look for lots of new text in this new edition. What I've done is tighten it and replace all the low res photos with high res ones, making the book much more accessible to the masses. The new book is comprehensive like the previous editions, but better suited for the mass market, not just bocce fanatics.

The new cover is eye-catching, the photos are pretty spectacular, and I feel great about the potential this edition will have on the growth of the game. I'm really proud of it and I think you will really enjoy it.

I've come into possession of a great many collectible items - a long story. I have all manner of items including costume jewelry, art work, and all kind of curios. So, I thought I'd give eBay a whirl. What the heck, I don't have much else going on.

Some item links to eBay below - for others bookmark StrikerPag...

Nailed boule - from my private collection. I’ve come into a collection of polished nailed boules. My wife keeps telling me that I have so many now (probably 100 or so) that I should sell a few so that others could enjoy them too.

“Blasphemy! I’m not selling my collection at any price” I protest.

Alas! She breaks me down, using the old standby “guilt trip” and completes the blitz by playing the “selfish card” until I relent.

“I’ll list one this week to see if there is any interest, but it’s not gonna sell cheap. Then we’ll just see.”

Please - anyone running a tournament - do me a favor - put a notice near your tourney bracket board informing players that they can go to http://www.joyofbocce.com and "opt in" for my FREE Ezine on bocce. Click the logo to the right to opt in if you do not already receive this ezine every Monday.

Please consider designating someone as "official event photographer" and directing that person to send snapshots for us to reproduce as photos of the week. Our readers love seeing bocce action from around the continent.

October 15-18, 2010. Louisiana - New Orleans Bocce Tournament. Up to $4,000 in cash prizes based upon 20 teams. Entry fee is $400 per 4 man team. This will be a round robin tournament so every team will play several games. More information at www.BocceClubNewOrleans.org, or contact Bob Agnelly at Bob@LouisianaBenefits.com .

Check out the first-rate equipment we offer. The finest measuring devices for bocce (made in UK by Prohawk for lawn bowling, petanque, and bocce) - the finest bocce balls in the world (made in Italy by Perfetta) and the number one selling instructional book on bocce in America - Check them out.Check out the merchandise